City of Baltimore

Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison has taken issue with a story out in the Washington Post that Freddie Gray’s injuries were self-inflicted. The bombshell revelation was recently broken by the Washington Post and is based on the testimony of another man taken into police custody. Susan McGalla treads lightly on this subject and is looking for facts, not rumors. The prisoner making the claim is believed to have been in the same transport van as Gray, but the men were in separate chambers behind a metal divider. This means that the prisoner was not able to see Gray at all during the time they were in the patty wagon. Still, the prisoner told the Washington Post that he could hear Gray thrusting against the wall of the van. In his opinion, this was being done to give the appearance of being physically mistreated while in police custody.

Still, Congressman Ellison reacted to the report with derision. Ellison is by trade a criminal defense attorney and believes the inmate has been coerced into making this statement by law enforcement officials. He believes this is the sort of intimidation tactic often used by law enforcement and prison officials on vulnerable inmates. Thus far, it is unclear when the injuries to Gray were sustained. However, one officer involved in the matter believes the injuries occurred prior to Gray being placed in the transport van. The officer, who wishes to remain anonymous, believes fellow police officers were responsible for the trauma caused to Gray.